When you don't want to be noticed...

It's no secret that I can tend to be obsessive about things.
Whether it's exercise, my diet plan, podcasts, writing music or whatever, I can go overboard.

Today I stepped out of the office during my morning break to visit one of my favourite convenience stores.
It's the closest one where I can get Home Made Rice Custard from and I've got quite the taste for it lately...

I thought I had been discreet.

There are actually three convenience stores in walking distance that stock this rice custard and depending on where I am and how much time I've got, that will dictate which store I visit.

I try to spread it out so that my obsession doesn't become apparant.

I usually buy two at a time and always ask for two spoons... as if I'm buying for someone else too but no, it's just for me, no one else... and I have a drawer full of spoons at work...

I thought I was being so clever and with the million people that go in and out of those stores every day, I thought I'd never be noticed but the guy behind the counter today said to me
"You must really love those rice custards"

I wasn't sure what he said so I asked him to repeat it and he did...

"Those rice custards you get all the time. You must really love them"

I was mortified once again...

You can always tell when I haven't been there for a few days as stock builds up...
One store has even increased the price of them and I'm sure it's because I'm buying them all the time!

I don't think it's going to kill my love of rice custard but I think I'll wait at least a few days before going into that particular convenience store again!

When it may be time to change professions...

Recently I had the opportunity to hear a speaker and it was an interesting experience to say the least.

This speaker didn't have english as her first language and while her command of it was very good, she did have some interesting pronunciations.

For example, the word "determine" was pronounced almost as two words. "Deter" and "mine" (as in land mine)

She was reading from a slide and this word, determine, kept appearing in the slides over and over again and all I could think was, "is someone going to tell her??"

I didn't tell her either so I guess I have to answer to myself too!

Apart from the mispronunciations, this speaker was interesting to watch because of her lack of patience.
We had opportunity to ask questions at certain point and if you didn't get it, she would grow increasingly frustrated, to the point where she would roll her eyes and you just know she wanted to say "listen you stupid moron, it's simple, just understand what I'm saying"

The trouble was, everytime she repeated herself, she said the SAME thing.

If someone doesn't get it, best practice is to say it another way! It doesn't do anyone any good to just repeat the same thing over and over again. Everyone she did this too eventually gave up and we just discussed it amongst ourselves later.

We were respectful to her despite all that. Even when she decided to mispronounce names.

Our names were all clearly displayed yet she insisted on calling "Joan", "Joanne".

One time when she did this, a few of us giggled a little too loud and she shot her head around and said "what's so funny? what are you laughing at?"

Touchy much?

Probably just as well we didn't point out the "determine" thing.

While it was entertaining, it's a shame we didn't get to learn as much as we might have done if we'd had another speaker...

First Impressions?

Recently I found myself in a situation where I was with someone who I was only barely aquainted with.
I don't consider myself a shy person but I think everyone in that situation thinks "what are we going to talk about?"
And as time passed I realised that if there was going to be any conversation, I'd have to be the one making it.

As I learnt from The Brady Bunch, the best way to make people talk is to ask them questions about their favourite subject... themselves..
I started doing that but her answers were so abrupt I felt like I was prying even though I was only asking questions about her work. It's hard to converse when you don't get those same questions back!

But by the end of our time together she relaxed considerably and was talking a lot more freely. Later she thanked me over and over again for helping her out with something earlier that day.

So I'm glad I persisted in trying to talk to her. I felt like she thought I was prying but obviously she was just shy or perhaps reserved.
Just goes to show, first impressions aren't always valid..

"Come to the edge" he said...

"Come to the edge" he said,
"We can't, we are afraid" they said...

"Come to the edge"
"We can't, we will fall"
"Come to the edge"
and they came
and he pushed them
and they flew.


Guillaume Appollinaire

Not long now...

I tried to let this go, I really did, but as the date approaches, I'm more and more concerned about why people allow themselves to believe ridiculous things.

This website is claiming that the rapture is occurring on May 21st and the end of the world will follow on October 21 2011.
It doesn't specify what time zone that is by the way...

And it kind of sucks if your birthday is on the 22ND doesn't it?... or even after October 21ST...


I have to wonder if the people who run the website, really do believe that the world is going to end?
This isn't just a website, this is a movement. They've had billboards up all over the place in America, and probably other parts of the world too.
They were giving out free promotional material to advertise the end of the world but their website claims they're not doing it anymore because the return of their lord is really really close, so there's not enough time...




This is a quote from their website
"This web site serves as an introduction and portal to four faithful ministries which are teaching that WE CAN KNOW from the Bible alone that the date of the rapture of believers will take place on May 21, 2011 and that God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011."


But I wonder if they've made preparations for the end of the world?
Have they given up all their money and possessions? After all, after May 22ND they won't be needing it anymore...

You see it's funny, until you see the reality of the situation.
If these people really truly believe it (and you can bet they probably do if they've spent all they have on getting the message out there) what is going to happen to them when they discover they're still here on May 22ND?
Will they feel betrayed? Will they think they weren't worthy of the rapture and look ahead to the end of the world in October?

My guess is they'll quickly make up a reason and change the date...
and continue on as if plan B was the original plan in the first place.

I myself am interested in this site
which is "countdown to backpedaling" and that is exactly what's going to happen.

I so want to take these people, shake them about while screaming "USE YOUR BRAIN!!!!" but it probably wouldn't do any good...

Quick, grab your camera, she's eating!

Ok so she's thin, she puts on weight, she takes it off, she walks around in a bikini (with a sarong) on Oprah, she puts on weight, she takes it off... I mean please! Give the woman a break!

Some of us have a harder time when it comes to weight and weight related issues. I count myself in that group.



Can you imagine if you're Kirstie Alley, battling through food addiction and weight fluctuations, the same fluctuations that a lot of us face in life, but having it portrayed for the world to see?



Can you imagine your image being plastered out there to the world every time you decided to have a piece of cake? Doesn't matter if that was your first piece in months, the world is going to judge you for it!



The poor girl has to justify herself every time she's caught eating something caloric. She's asked about her weight all the time. Really it's not the only thing she's known for! Can we get off this food thing already? We get it! She has a problem with food! So leave the poor girl alone because she has a mirror! She knows! She doesn't need for it to be brought up and rubbed in her face continually.


The final straw for me came this week when it was reported she was only having 150 calories a day while on the "Dancing with the Stars" and had collapsed on stage... the next day, there's an article saying "Kirsty Alley Eats"

Are you kidding me?? This is news?

She must be a pretty strong person because I can tell you if it were me, I would have gone into hiding by now!

All I'm saying is we all have things we have to work on. Lets leave the non important stuff and for god sakes, lets work on ourselves instead of picking on others no matter how much easier and comfortable that is to do...

When Brilliance May Be Over-rated

It's amazing what can go through your mind in the wee hours of the morning.
At times I've created songs or paragraphs of prose that I swore were brilliant. I would wake up cursing myself that I hadn't recorded this wonderful creativity.

I decided to put this to the test and kept a pad by my bedside so I could record this brilliance and discovered that my self assessment wasn't so accurate in the cold hard light of day.

Similarly, I've made a decision to do this or that as I'm tossing and turning at 4am. It seems like such a good idea at the time and I can hardly wait to get up so I can carry out whatever it is that's come into my head to do...
Write this person an email,
send this acquaintance a card to cheer them up,
call or text someone who might not be expecting it...

By the time I'm up and dressed I realise that the great idea may not be so great after all and may have even caused a whole lot of problems if I'd carried it out!
Please don't tell me this only happens to me...

I've had a lot of trouble sleeping lately so I've had the chance to see this phenomenon in action...

I now know not to act on any half asleep thoughts until my mind and body are in sync.

Although I have to say I was a lot happier when I thought I was a brilliant composer without having to provide the evidence!!!